Skip to main content

Visual Arts

[ graduate program | courses | faculty ]

Mandeville Center for the Arts, Room 216
http://visarts.ucsd.edu

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

The Visual Arts Department offers courses in painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, computing in the arts, film, video, photography, and art history/criticism (including that of film and video). A bachelor’s degree from this department provides students with a solid liberal arts background and is preparatory training for careers as artists, art historians, filmmakers, video artists, photographers, digital media artists, art critics, and for graduate study in art history and fine arts. It also provides students the initial skills required for teaching and work in museums, television, and the commercial film, photography, and Internet industries.

The faculty of the Visual Arts Department is composed of actively producing artists and scholars, engaged in research and study concerned with the reconsideration and reevaluation of artistic productions, their information structure, and significance. Consequently, a flexible program of introductory courses has been devised to provide students opportunities to learn about the contexts and practices of significantly different aesthetic and communication structures. A studio course, covering time-based work, as well as drawing, painting, and sculpture, is presented to bring the student into direct contact with the real contingencies compelling redistribution of aesthetic attitudes and reinterpretation of genres. Because of the exploratory nature of our program, the department also emphasizes new media and interdisciplinary practices that would traditionally be considered to have scant relation to the visual arts. These include courses on speculative design, social practice, computing, performance, and theory. In addition to art practice, our curriculum in art history looks at the global context for contemporary art with courses on Chinese; Latin American, including Pre-Columbian; Native American; and Oceanic art, as well as European art from antiquity to the present.

The administrative offices and undergraduate program of the Visual Arts Department, as well as the offices of the doctoral students in art history, are located in the Mandeville Center for the Arts. Faculty offices and graduate student studios are housed in the Visual Arts Facility sited in Sixth College, and there are additional facilities for visual arts students in the Structural and Materials Engineering Building, including EnVision—the arts and engineering maker studio. Facilities and equipment are available to undergraduates in both the Mandeville Center and at the campuswide Media Center, providing the opportunity to study painting, drawing, photography, computing in the arts, 16mm film, performance, sculpture, and video. Facilities at the Media Center include portable video recording equipment, video and audio editing suites, nonlinear editing, and production studios. Additional film equipment available includes an animation stand, optical printer, two sound-mixing studios, and numerous film editing suites. Courses in computing in the arts take place in labs located at the Visual Arts Facility and the Mandeville Center.

The department also provides students with the opportunity to view, curate, and exhibit art in campus galleries. The University Art Gallery in Mandeville and the Visual Arts Gallery in SME brings to campus new, cutting-edge art by emerging and established artists, and also houses a curated exhibition of art by graduating undergraduate majors in the spring. The Mandeville Adam D. Kamil Gallery, located on the lower level, is directed by visual arts undergraduate students. A gallery and performance space, located in the Visual Arts Facility, are directed by graduate students.

The Undergraduate Program

College Requirements

The Department of Visual Arts teaches courses applicable toward general-education requirements for each college. Optional minors may be taken within any college.

Minor in Visual Arts

The Department of Visual Arts offers minors in seven areas of study: studio painting/drawing/ sculpture, photography, speculative design, art history, history and criticism of film and video, digital video and film production, and ICAM. A minor consists of seven or eight specific courses, of which at least five must be upper division. No more than two upper-division courses may be taken outside of UC San Diego. Because the requirements differ for each minor, prospective visual arts minors should consult with the departmental adviser for a complete list of appropriate classes acceptable for the minor.

Students are advised to begin their program in the second year; otherwise, they cannot be guaranteed enough time to complete the classes required for a minor.

Art History Minor (VA26)

Lower Division (two courses)

Choose two from:

VIS 20. Introduction to Art in Europe and America

VIS 21A. Introduction to Art of the Americans or Africa and Oceania

VIS 21B. Introduction to Asian Art

VIS 21C. Introduction to African Art

VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art

Upper Division (five courses)

Choose five upper-division art history courses from:

VIS 113AN–129F, 129I

Studio Minor (VA28)

Lower Division (three courses)

VIS 11. Introduction to Visual Culture

VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art

VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major

Upper Division (five courses)

Choose five upper-division studio courses from:

VIS 105A–107C

ICAM: Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts Minor (VA29)

Lower Division (three courses)

Required:

VIS 10. Computing Arts Lecture Series

VIS 41. Design Communication

Choose one course from:

VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making: Two-Dimensional Practices

VIS 2. Introduction to Art Making: Motion and Time-Based Art

VIS 3. Introduction to Art Making: Three-Dimensional Practices

VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography

VIS 70N. Introduction to Media

VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major

Upper Division (five courses)

Required:

VIS 142. Practices in Computing Arts

VIS 145A. Digital Media I: Time, Movement, and Sound

VIS 159. History of Art and Technology

Choose two courses from:

VIS 141A. Computer Programming for the Arts I

VIS 141B. Computer Programming for the Arts II

VIS 143. Virtual Environments

VIS 145B. Digital Media II

VIS 147A. Electronic Technologies for Art I

VIS 147B. Electronic Technologies for Art II

VIS 149. Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics

MUS 170. Musical Acoustics

MUS 171. Computer Music I

MUS 172. Computer Music II

MUS 176. Music Technology Seminar

Speculative Design Minor (VA30)

Lower Division (two courses)

VIS 30. Introduction to Speculative Design

VIS 41. Design Communication

Upper Division (five courses)

Required:

VIS 135. Design Research Methods

Choose three courses from:

VIS 100, 100A, 101, 101A, 102, 133, 133A, 136A, 142, 161, 162, 163

Choose one course from:

VIS 103, 103A, 103B, 103C, 159

Photography Minor (MO54)

Lower Division (three courses)

VIS 11. Introduction to Visual Culture

VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography

VIS 83. Photographic History

Upper Division (five courses)

Choose two media practice courses from:

VIS 164, 165, 165A, 165B, 167, 168, 169A, 169B

Choose three media studies courses from:

VIS 150, 150A, 151, 151A, 152, 152D, 155, 156, 157, 157D, 158A, 158B, 158C, 158D, 159, 194S

Digital Video and Film Production Minor (MO71)

Lower Division (three courses)

Required:

VIS 11. Introduction to Visual Culture

VIS 70N. Introduction to Media

Choose one media studies course from:

VIS 84. Film History

VIS 84B. Film Aesthetics

VIS 85A. Media History

VIS 85B. Media Aesthetics

Upper Division (five courses)

Required:

VIS 174. Media Sketchbook

Choose two media practice courses from:

VIS 171. Digital Cinema: Theory and Production

VIS 172. Motion Design and Visual Effects

VIS 175. Editing: Theory and Practice

VIS 176. 16 mm Filmmaking

VIS 177. Scripting Strategies

VIS 178. Sound: Theory and Practice

VIS 179. Intermediate Projects in Media

Choose two media history courses from:

VIS 150, 150A, 151, 151A, 152, 152D, 155, 156, 157, 157D, 159, 194S

History and Criticism of Film and Video (MO72)

Lower Division (two courses)

Choose two courses from:

VIS 84. Film History

VIS 84B. Film Aesthetics

VIS 85A. Media History

VIS 85B. Media Aesthetic

Upper Division (five courses)

Choose five courses from:

VIS 150–159 and 194S

Education Abroad Program

Students are often able to participate in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP) and UC San Diego’s Opportunities Abroad Program (OAP) while still making progress toward completing their major. Financial aid is applicable to study abroad and special study abroad scholarships are readily available. Students considering this option should discuss their plans with an Education Abroad adviser before going abroad, and courses taken abroad must be approved upon return by the departmental faculty adviser. More information on EAP/OAP is detailed in the Education Abroad Program section of the UC San Diego General Catalog or on the website http://studyabroad.ucsd.edu/. Interested students should contact the Study Abroad UC San Diego office in the Matthews Quad Building.

Residency Requirements

A minimum of two-thirds of the course work completed for the major must be taken at UC San Diego. Students who transfer to UC San Diego in their second or third year may petition to substitute courses taken at other colleges and universities for major requirements.

Honors Programs

The department offers honors programs in art history, in media, and in studio for outstanding students.

The art history honors track is for dedicated students who wish to focus their studies on a particular area of art history. In consultation with individual faculty mentors, students will design a two-year course of study, the aim of which is to prepare them to conduct advanced research in the field. Students may be encouraged to enroll in complementary courses outside of the visual arts department to facilitate this research. During the winter and spring terms of their final year, honors students will research and write a thesis under the supervision of their faculty mentors as part of a two-term independent study (VIS 196), graded on a P/NP basis. Theses will be evaluated by the mentor and at least one other member of the art history faculty. Honors designation will be awarded based on students’ GPAs in the major as well as the outcome of their theses. Students who choose to pursue an honors designation must first complete VIS 23. The instructor of VIS 23 and the art history area head will approve students’ petitions to enter the honors track and recommend potential faculty mentors. Students accepted into the honors curriculum will be required to enroll in VIS 112 as soon as possible after completing VIS 23. Students must maintain a 3.5 GPA in their visual arts courses, and a 3.0 GPA overall, to remain on the honors track.

The media honors program will help students develop high-quality professional portfolios. The honors thesis project is a sequence of individual studies that runs the length of an academic year to provide sufficient time for ideas to develop and critically aware work to be produced. Students may arrange to work with different faculty advisers each term or may engage a single adviser for the year. To be eligible for the honors thesis sequence, students must have at least a 3.5 GPA in the major and have approval of all the advisers with whom they will work. Qualified students may begin their sequence the last quarter of their junior year or during their senior year. At the end of the third quarter, all involved media faculty will meet to critique the overall quality of the final thesis work to determine level of distinction.

Through exhibition, verbal and written presentations and course work, the studio honors program is intended to give the student as strong a technical, critical, and theoretical base as possible. The program is open to juniors and seniors with a minimum 3.5 GPA in the major (3.0 overall), who have completed all lower-division studio requirements and the majority of upper-division requirements.

Students interested in participating in an honors program should consult with the departmental adviser.

Double Major within the Department

There are four double majors within the Department of Visual Arts: art history/theory/criticism paired with either studio, speculative design, media, or ICAM. Students interested in a double major within the department must have at least ten upper-division courses that are unique to each departmental major and the remaining courses may overlap with other major requirements. Students should consult with the departmental adviser for additional information.

Major Requirements

All courses taken to satisfy major requirements must be taken for a letter grade, and only grades of C– or better will be accepted in the visual arts major.

Art History/Theory/Criticism Major (VA26)

The major in art history, theory, and criticism is designed both for students who desire a broadly based education in the humanities and for those who plan to pursue a career in an art-related profession. In both cases, the foundation for study is proficiency in the languages of artistic expression. Through the study of art history, students learn to treat works of art as manifestations of human belief, thought, and experience in Western and non-Western societies from prehistory to the present day. Courses in criticism review the theoretical approaches that are used to understand artistic achievement. By combining art historical and critical study, the program promotes in the student an awareness of the cultural traditions that have shaped his or her intellectual outlook and provides a framework for informed judgment on the crucial issues of meaning and expression in contemporary society.

Majors are encouraged to take relevant courses in allied disciplines such as history, communication, anthropology, and literature, and in such area programs as classics and Italian studies. In addition, students who plan to apply to graduate schools are strongly advised to develop proficiency in one or more foreign languages, as is dictated by their area of specialization.

Lower Division

Foundation Level (seven courses)

Required:

VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art

VIS 23. Seminar in Art History Methods

Choose five courses from:

VIS 11. Introduction to Visual Culture

VIS 20. Introduction to Art in Europe and America

VIS 21A. Introduction to the Art of the Americas of Africa and Oceania

VIS 21B. Introduction to Asian Art

VIS 21C. Introduction to African Art

VIS 83. Photographic History or VIS 84. Film History

Upper Division (twelve courses)
Intermediate Level (seven courses)

Required:

VIS 112. Theories and Methods

Choose six courses, two from each area:

A. Ancient–1800
  • VIS 120A. Greek Art
  • VIS 120B. Roman Art
  • VIS 120C. Late Antique Art
  • VIS 121AN. Art and Experience in the Middle Ages
  • VIS 121B. Church and Mosque
  • VIS 121C. Art and the Bible in the Middle Ages
  • VIS 121H. Medieval Multiculturalism
  • VIS 122AN. Renaissance Art
  • VIS 122CN. Leonardo da Vinci in Context
  • VIS 122D. Michelangelo
  • VIS 123AN. Between Spirit and Flesh
  • VIS 124BN. Art and the Enlightenment
  • VIS 126AN. Pre-Columbian Art of Ancient Mexico
  • VIS 126BN. The Art and Civilization of the Ancient Maya
  • VIS 127B. Arts of China
  • VIS 127C. Arts of Modern China
  • VIS 127P. Arts of Japan
  • VIS 128A. Topics in Pre-Modern Art History
  • VIS 128B. Topics in Early Modern Art History
B. 1800–1945
  • VIS 122GS. The City in Italy
  • VIS 123C. Art and Visual Culture of the U.S.
  • VIS 124CN. Nineteenth-Century Art
  • VIS 124D. Paris, Capital of the Nineteenth Century
  • VIS 124E. The Production of Nature
  • VIS 124F. Art in the Age of Revolutions
  • VIS 124G. Art and Modernity
  • VIS 125A. Twentieth-Century Art
  • VIS 125C. Modern Art in the West, 1850–1950
  • VIS 125E. Faces and Powers
  • VIS 125G. Socially Engaged Art
  • VIS 126E. Indigenisms I
  • VIS 126F. Indigenisms II
  • VIS 126HN. Pacific Coast American Indian Art
  • VIS 126I. Southwest American Indian Art
  • VIS 126J. African and Afro-American Art
  • VIS 126K. Oceanic Art
  • VIS 126P. Latin American Art (1890–1950)
  • VIS 127N. Twentieth-Century Art in China and Japan
  • VIS 128D. Topics in Art History of the Americas
  • VIS 159. History of Art and Technology
C. 1945–Present
  • VIS 123B. Contemporary Art of Africa Diaspora
  • VIS 125BN. Contemporary Art
  • VIS 126Q. Latin American Art (1950–Present)
  • VIS 128C. Topics in Modern Art History
  • VIS 128E. Topics in Art History of Asia
  • VIS 150. Landmarks of World Art
  • VIS 150A. Seminar in Film History and Theory
  • VIS 151. Experimental Cinema
  • VIS 151A. Seminar in Media History and Theory
  • VIS 152. Media in Social Context
  • VIS 152D. Identity through Transnational Cinema
  • VIS 155. Media Artists at Work
  • VIS 156. Latino American Cinema
  • VIS 157. Environmentalism in Art and Media
  • VIS 157D. US Civil Rights in Art and Media
  • VIS 158A. Topics in Contemporary Photography
  • VIS 158B. Photography after 1960
  • VIS 158C. History of Social Documentary
  • VIS 158D. Black Subjects and Black Material in Photography
  • VIS 194S. Fantasy in Film
Advanced Level (five courses)

Choose one theory course from:

VIS 113AN*. History of Criticism I

VIS 113BN*. History of Criticism II

VIS 113CN*. History of Criticism III

VIS 114A*. Landscape and Memory

VIS 114B*. The Fragment: Uses and Theories

VIS 117E*. Problems in Ethnoaesthetics

VIS 117F*. Theorizing the Americas

VIS 117G*. Visual Theory and Practice since 1980

VIS 117I*. Western and Non-Western Rituals and Ceremonies

VIS 129F*. Seminar in Art Theory and Criticism

Choose three seminar courses from:

VIS 122F*. Leonardo’s La Gioconda

VIS 1125DN*. Marcel Duchamp

VIS 126C*. Problems in Mesoamerican Art History

VIS 126D*. Problems in Ancient Maya Iconography

VIS 127D*. Early Chinese Painting

VIS 127E*. Later Chinese Painting

VIS 127F*. Japanese Buddhist Art

VIS 127G*. Twentieth-Century Chinese Art

VIS 127Q*. Japanese Painting and Prints

VIS 129A*. Seminar in Pre-Modern Art History

VIS 129B*. Seminar in Early Modern Art History

VIS 129C*. Seminar in Modern Art History

VIS 129D*. Seminar in Art History of the Americas

VIS 129E*. Seminar in Art History of Asia

Note: Students may also select any course from the theory course list to count toward the seminar requirement. Course will count as ONE theory or seminar course, but not both.

Choose one elective course from:

  • Any intermediate art history course
  • Any advanced art history course
  • Art history honors (VIS 196)
  • VIS 199 or AIP 197

The completion of both quarters of VIS 196 count as one course toward fulfillment of the advanced level elective.

In accordance with standard university policy, the department requires that students take two-thirds of the upper-division courses in their major at UC San Diego. The distribution requirement must be fulfilled with courses taken at UC San Diego. Courses taken abroad or at other US institutions do not count toward, and will not be substituted for, the six-course distribution requirement.

Media Major (VA27)

The media program is designed for students who want to redefine the possibilities of photography, video, film, and sound. The curriculum immerses candidates in the creative world of time-based practices. Based in conceptual and practical production, the program provides historical, social, and aesthetic backgrounds for the understanding of modern media, and emphasizes creativity, versatility, and intelligence over technical specializations.

Lower Division

Foundation Level (seven courses required)

Two courses required:

VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography

VIS 70N. Introduction to Media

Choose two media studies courses from:

VIS 83. Photographic History

VIS 84. Film History

VIS 84B. Film Aesthetics

VIS 85A. Media History

VIS 85B. Media Aesthetics

Choose two art making courses from:

VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making: Two-Dimensional Practices

VIS 2. Introduction to Art Making: Motion and Time-Based Art

VIS 3. Introduction to Art Making: Three-Dimensional Practices

VIS 11. Introduction to Visual Culture

VIS 41. Design Communication

VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major

Choose one art history course from:

VIS 20. Introduction to Art in Europe and America

VIS 21A. Introduction to Art of the Americas

VIS 21B. Introduction to Asian Art

VIS 21C. Introduction to African Art

VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art

Upper Division

Intermediate Level (eight courses required)

VIS 164*. Photographic Strategies

VIS 174*. Media Sketchbook

Choose two media practice courses from:

VIS 165*. Black and White Darkroom

VIS 165A*. The Photographic Print

VIS 165B*. The Photographer’s Studio

VIS 171*. Digital Cinema: Theory and Practice

VIS 172*. Motion Design and Visual Effects

VIS 175*. Editing: Theory and Practice

VIS 176*. 16 mm Filmmaking

VIS 177*. Scripting Strategies

VIS 178*. Sound: Theory and Practice

VIS 179*. Intermediate Projects in Media

Choose three media studies courses from:

VIS 150. Landmarks of World Cinema

VIS 150A. Seminar in Film History and Theory

VIS 151. Experimental Cinema

VIS 151A. Seminar in Media History and Theory

VIS 152. Media in Social Context

VIS 152D. Identity through Transnational Cinemas

VIS 155. Media Artists at Work

VIS 156. Latino American Cinema

VIS 157. Environmentalism in Art and Media

VIS 157D. US Civil Rights in Art and Media

VIS 158A. Topics in Contemporary Photography

VIS 158B. Photography after 1960

VIS 158C. History of Social Documentary

VIS 158D. Black Subjects and Black Material in Photography

VIS 159. History of Art and Technology

VIS 194S. Fantasy in Film

Choose one interdisciplinary course from:

VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture

VIS 101. Introduction to Urban Ecologies

VIS 102. Democratizing the City

VIS 105A*. Drawing: Representing the Subject

VIS 105D*. The Aesthetics of Chinese Calligraphy

VIS 106A*. Painting: Image Making

VIS 107A*. Sculpture: Making the Object

VIS 142*. Practices in Computing Arts

VIS 147A*. Electronic Technologies for Art I

Advanced Level (two courses required)

Choose two media practice courses from:

VIS 167*. Social Engagement in Photography

VIS 168*. Pictorialism and Constructed Reality

VIS 169A*. Photography in Exhibition and Artists Books

VIS 169B*. Advanced Photographic Print

VIS 180A*. Documentary

VIS 180B*. Fiction and Allegory in Current Media Practices

Senior Projects (three courses required)

Choose two media practice courses from:

VIS 181*. Advanced Sound and Lighting

VIS 182*. Advanced Editing

VIS 182A*. Advanced Video Photography Editing

VIS 183A*. Strategies of Self

VIS 183B*. Strategies of Alterity

VIS 184*. Advanced Scripting

VIS 185*. Senior Media Projects

Choose one interdisciplinary course from:

VIS 108*. Advanced Projects in Art

VIS 110A-K*. Advanced—Various Topics

VIS 131*. Special Projects in Media

VIS 132*. Installation Production and Studio

VIS 143*. Virtual Environments

VIS 145A*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media

VIS 147B*. Electronic Technologies for Art II

VIS 149*. Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics

VIS 197. Media Honors Thesis

VIS 198. Directed Group Study

VIS 199. Special Studies in Visual Arts

Note: Enrollment in production courses is limited to two per quarter.

Studio Major (VA28)

The major in studio arts is designed for students who intend to become creative artists or for those who are pursuing a career where a fine arts background is desired. The program addresses painting, drawing, sculpture, performance, installation, media, and new genres in a manner that supports cross-disciplinary practices. The curriculum combines hands-on experiences with the development of technical and conceptual skills considered in the context of art history, criticism, theory, and the issues and ideas explored in contemporary art practice. Advanced classes emphasize the intellectual and creative skills necessary for independent production and graduate study.

Lower Division

Foundation Level (six courses required)

VIS 11. Introduction to Visual Culture

VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art

VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major

Choose two art making courses:

VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making: Two-Dimensional Practices

VIS 2. Introduction to Art Making: Motion- and Time-Based Art

VIS 3. Introduction to Art Making: Three-Dimensional Practices

VIS 41. Design Communication

VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography

VIS 70N. Introduction to Media

Choose one history course:

VIS 20. Introduction to Art in Europe and America

VIS 21A. Introduction to the Art of the Americas

VIS 21B. Introduction to Asian Art

VIS 21C. Introduction to African Art

VIS 83. Photographic History

VIS 84. Film History

VIS 84B. Film Aesthetics

VIS 85A. Media History

VIS 85B. Media Aesthetics

Upper Division

Intermediate Level (six courses required)

Choose three Group A courses:

VIS 105A. Drawing: Representing the Subject

VIS 105D. Aesthetics of Chinese Calligraphy

VIS 106A. Painting: Image Making

VIS 107A. Sculpture: Making the Object

Choose two Group B courses:

VIS 105B. Drawing: Practices and Genre

VIS 105E. Chinese Calligraphy as Installation

VIS 106B. Painting: Practices and Genre

VIS 107B. Sculpture: Practices and Genre

Choose one interdisciplinary course:

VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture

VIS 101. Introduction to Urban Ecologies

VIS 102. Democratizing the City

VIS 142. Practices in Computing Arts

VIS 147A. Electronic Technologies for Art I

VIS 164. Photographic Strategies

VIS 165. Black and White Darkroom

VIS 165A. The Photographic Print

VIS 165B. The Photographer’s Studio

VIS 174. Media Sketchbook

History and Theory (three courses required)

Choose three from:

Any upper-division art history course: VIS 120–129

Any upper-division media history course: VIS 150–159, 194S

Advanced Level (three courses required)

Choose one art making course:

VIS 105C. Drawing: Portfolio Projects

VIS 106C. Painting: Portfolio Projects

VIS 107C. Sculpture: Portfolio Projects

Choose two interdisciplinary courses:

VIS 100A. Design of Public Culture

VIS 101A. Design of Urban Ecologies

VIS 108. Advanced Projects in Art

VIS 110A–K. Advanced: Various Topics

VIS 110M–N. Studio Honors

VIS 130. Special Projects in Visual Arts

VIS 131. Special Projects in Media

VIS 132. Installation Production and Studio

VIS 143. Virtual Environments

VIS 145A. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media I

VIS 145B. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media II

VIS 147B. Electronic Technologies for Art II

VIS 149. Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics

VIS 167. Social Engagement and Photography

VIS 168. Pictorialism and Constructed Reality

VIS 169A. Photography in Exhibition and Artist Books

VIS 169B. Advanced Photographic Print

VIS 198. Directed Group Study

VIS 199. Special Studies in Visual Arts

Note: The studio honors sequence, VIS 110M–N, counts as one course toward the fulfillment of an advanced level requirement.

Interdisciplinary Computing and the Arts Major (ICAM, VA29)

The interdisciplinary computing and the arts major in the Departments of Music and Visual Arts draws upon, and aims to bring together, ideas and paradigms from computer science, art, and cultural theory. It takes for granted that the computer has become a metamedium and that artists working with computers are expected to combine different media forms in their works. All of this makes the program unique among currently existing computer art or design programs which, on the one hand, usually focus on the use of computers for a particular media (for instance, specializing in computer animation, or computer music, or computer design for print) and, on the other hand, do not enter into a serious dialogue with current research in computer science, only teaching the students “off-the-shelf” software.

The program also recognizes that creating sophisticated artistic works with computers requires a new model of the creative process, one which combines traditional artistic procedures with the experimental research characteristic of the sciences. All in all, it aims to train a new type of cultural producer, who is familiar with art and media history, who is equally proficient with computer programming and artistic skills, who is always ready to learn new technologies, and who is comfortable interacting with scientists and computer industry resources.

The goals of the program are

  • to prepare the next generation of artists who will be functioning in a computer-mediated culture
  • to give students necessary technical, theoretical, and historical backgrounds so they can contribute to the development of new aesthetics for computer media
  • to prepare students to mediate between the worlds of computer science and technology, the arts, and the culture at large by being equally proficient with computing and cultural concepts
  • to give students sufficient understanding of the trajectories of development in computing so they can anticipate and work with the emerging trends, rather than being locked in particular software currently available on the market

Lower Division

Foundation Level (eight to nine courses)

Required:

VIS 10. Computing in the Arts Lecture Series

VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art

VIS 41. Design Communication

VIS 70N. Introduction to Media

Choose one computer science sequence:

CSE 11. Introduction to Computer Science: JAVA

or

CSE 8A. Introduction to Computer Science: JAVA

CSE 8B. Introduction to Computer Science: JAVA Continued

Choose one mathematics course:

MATH 3C. Precalculus

MATH 4C. Precalculus for Science and Engineering

MATCH 10A. Calculus

MATH 15A/CSE 20. Discrete Mathematics

MATH 18. Linear Algebra

MATH 20A. Calculus for Science and Engineering

PSYC 60. Introduction to Statistics

Choose one art making course:

VIS 1. Introduction to Art Making: Two-Dimensional Practice

VIS 2. Introduction to Art Making: Motion- and Time-Based Art

VIS 3. Introduction to Art Making: Three-Dimensional Practice

VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography

VIS 80. Introduction to the Studio Major

Choose one interdisciplinary course:

VIS 30. Introduction to Speculative Design

VIS 31. Undead Media: All Things Zombie

VIS 32. Art, Design, and the Brain

COGS 3. Introduction to Computing

COGS 9. Introduction to Data Science

COGS 10. Cognitive Consequences of Society

DSGN 1. Design of Everyday Things

MUS 4. Introduction to Western Music

Upper Division

Intermediate Level (six courses)

Required:

VIS 142*. Practices in Computing Arts

VIS 145A*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media I

Choose two computing in the arts courses:

VIS 141A*. Computer Programming for the Arts

VIS 143*. Virtual Environments

VIS 147A*. Electronic Technologies for Art I

Choose one art making course:

VIS 105A*. Drawing: Representing the Subject

VIS 105D*. Aesthetics of Chinese Calligraphy

VIS 106A*. Painting: Image Making

VIS 107A*. Sculpture: Making the Object

VIS 164*. Photographic Strategies

VIS 165*. Camera Techniques: Analog Futures

VIS 165A*. The Photographic Print

VIS 165B*. The Photographer’s Studio

VIS 174*. Media Sketchbook

Choose one interdisciplinary course:

VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture

VIS 101. Introduction to Urban Ecologies

VIS 102. Democratizing the City

VIS 135*. Design Research Methods

COGS 108*. Data Science in Practice

COGS 120*. Interaction Design

COGS 187A*. Usability and Information Architecture

MUS 170*. Musical Acoustics

MUS 171*. Computer Music I

MUS 172*. Computer Music II

MUS 173*. Audio Production: Mixing and Editing

MUS 174A-C*. Recording/MIDI Studio Techniques

History and Theory (two courses)

Required:

VIS 159. History of Art and Technology

Choose one from:

Any upper-division speculative design history course: VIS 103, 103A-C

Any upper-division art history course: VIS 120–129

Any upper-division media history course: VIS 150–158, 194S

Advanced Level (four courses)

Choose one computing in the arts course:

VIS 141B*. Computer Programming for the Arts II

VIS 145B*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media II

VIS 147B*. Electronic Technologies for Art II

Required two courses:

VIS/MUS 160A*. Senior Project in Computer Arts I

VIS/MUS 160B*. Senior Project in Computer Arts II

Choose one interdisciplinary course:

VIS 107B*. Sculpture: Practices and Genre

VIS 108*. Advanced Projects in Art

VIS 110A–K*. Advanced—Various Topics

VIS 130*. Special Projects in Media

VIS 132*. Installation Productions and Studio

VIS 141A*. Computer Programming for the Arts I

VIS 141B*. Computer Programming for the Arts II

VIS 143*. Virtual Environments

VIS 145B*. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media II

VIS 147A*. Electronic Technologies for Art I

VIS 147B*. Electronic Technologies for Art II

VIS 149*. Seminar in Contemporary Computer Topics

VIS 167*. Social Engagement and Photography

VIS 168*. Pictorialism and Constructed Reality

VIS 169A*. Black Subjects and Black Materials in Photography

VIS 169B*. Advanced Photographic Print

VIS 198. Directed Group Study

VIS 199. Special Studies in Visual Arts

AIP 197. Academic Internship Program

Note: Overlapping courses may be taken for the intermediate or advanced level, but not both.

Speculative Design Major (VA30)

The speculative design major teaches open-ended creative thinking, debating values, possibilities, and outcomes, understanding human contexts and mobilizing interests, and exploring ambiguous problems in an unexpected way. Speculative design is a twenty-first-century mix of art, science, and emerging technology focused on aesthetic, entrepreneurial, and activist intervention. Bringing together laboratory and field research in a creative studio setting, speculative design works from nano to urban scales to stimulate new ideas and solutions.

Lower Division

Foundation Level (six courses required)

VIS 11. Introduction to Visual Culture

VIS 30. Introduction to Speculative Design

VIS 41. Design Communication

Choose two breadth electives from:

VIS 1 or 2 or 3. Introduction to Art Making

VIS 60. Introduction to Digital Photography

VIS 70N*. Introduction to Media

VIS 80. Introduction to Studio

COGS 10. Cognitive Consequences of Technology

USP 1. History of US Urban Communities

USP 2. Urban World System

USP 3. The City and Social Theory

Choose one history course from:

VIS 10. Computing in the Arts Lecture Series

VIS 22. Formations of Modern Art

VIS 31. Undead Media: All Things Zombie

VIS 32. Art, Design, and the Brain

Upper Division

Intermediate Level (six courses required)

Choose three lecture courses from:

VIS 100. Introduction to Public Culture

VIS 101. Introduction to Urban Ecologies

VIS 102. Democratizing the City

VIS 133. Lecture Topics in Speculative Design

VIS 135. Collaborative Research, Methodologies, and Management

VIS 142. Practices in Computing Arts

VIS 163. Design Research and Criticism

Choose two studio courses from:

VIS 100A. Design of Public Culture

VIS 101A. Design of Urban Ecologies

VIS 133A. Studio Topics in Speculative Design

VIS 136A. Speculative Fiction

VIS 161. Systems and Networks at Scale

VIS 162. Speculative Science and Design Invention 

History and Theory (two courses required)

Choose two courses from:

VIS 103. Architectural Practices

VIS 103A. Contemporary Arts in South Korea

VIS 103B. Architecture and Urbanism of Korea

VIS 103C. Silk Road

VIS 159. History of Art, Design, and Technology

Advanced Electives (three courses required)

Choose three courses from:

VIS 100A. Design of Public Culture

VIS 101A. Design of Urban Ecologies

VIS 133A. Studio Topics in Speculative Design

VIS 136A. Speculative Fiction

VIS 141A. Computer Programming in the Arts I

VIS 141B. Computer Programming in the Arts II

VIS 143. Virtual Environments

VIS 145A. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media I

VIS 145B. Time- and Process-Based Digital Media II

VIS 147A. Electronic Technologies I

VIS 147B. Electronic Technologies II

VIS 149. Contemporary Computing Topics

VIS 161. Systems and Networks at Scale

VIS 162. Speculative Science and Design Invention

VIS 174. Media Sketchbook

VIS 178. Sound: Theory and Practice

Note: Courses may not overlap between intermediate and advanced requirements. CSE 8B or CSE 11 is a required prerequisite for VIS 141A.

Design Master Studio (one course required, eight units)

VIS 190. Design Master Studio